Hidden Words
by blugrl320
Summary: Not CA:CW compliant. Darcy Lewis heard her soul words at age 15 but she always knew it would not be a happy moment. Not when your soul mate turned out to be an assassin brainwashed by Hydra.


Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel or any of its characters.

" **Hey, I didn't think anyone was allowed up here** ," said Darcy before noticing the gun in the mans had.

" **Leave now** **or I will kill you** ," growled the stranger. Darcy froze for a moment before turning and fleeing.

She knew her soul words would probably not be in the best of circumstances but she had never suspected an assassin of being her soul mate. She knows she should have told someone about seeing him that day but she never did. The police never caught him anyways and no one needed to know about the encounter she had dreaded since she was old enough to read. So at the tender age of fifteen Darcy met her soul mate and finally gave up on any silly hope for a future with her soul mate. Soul mates were not the be all and end all anyways. It would be 11 years before she ever saw him again and found out who he actually is.

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Darcy Lewis gasped nearly dropping her coffee cup when she tried to process what she was seeing on the news. It was him. How could it be him? He didn't look any different from 11 years ago. Okay he looked a little more lost and weary now but it was still him. She finally tuned into what the news was saying. Her soul mate was none other than, James Buchanan Barnes, member of the Howling Commandos, fallen hero and best friend of Captain America. He had been under Hydra's control, brainwashed and tortured for the past 70 years.

Darcy turned off the television and avoided all updates and news on one James Buchanan Barnes. She put it all in the past 11 years ago and she was done with that part of her life. She was better off people believing she was a blank, a person without a soul only ones that had known her words were dead, her parents passing away in a car accident when she was 20. She had some cousins scattered around but she never told anyone her soul words or even that she had any. For all intent and purposes she was a blank.

However you can't plan for fate. Two months later she was working in Stark Tower as Jane's part time lab assistant while she finished up school. The pay and benefits were beyond anything she would ever find so it was too good to pass up. She figured she would never run into him anyways and even if she did he would never remember her now. As far as she had heard he had been getting help to undo the brainwashing and triggers he had. There were even rumors he might be joining the Avengers once he was well enough, not physically but mentally. After all Black Widow had been in a similar situation once upon a time and look at her now.

Darcy had tried so hard not to listen or look him up after she first saw him on the news but now working in the actual Stark Tower it was hard not to hear some of the gossip going around. There has even been one frightening moment when she had caught a brief glimpse of him with Captain America while they were passing by the labs on their way to see Bruce Banner. She quickly ducked into the ladies room when she realized who they were. Anyone else might have tried to meet them but if meeting Captain America meant seeing him, then she was fine not ever meeting the Captain. She got to see Thor and occasionally Bruce around the labs.

It was two weeks later she talked to him again for the first time.

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Darcy was itching to hit this guy but she didn't think HR would take kindly to it so she refrained from kneeing the creep or breaking his nose

"Come on Darcy, I can be a real good time."

"Dude, I don't know how many times I have to tell you I'm not interested."

Idiot intern finally crossed the line when he grabbed her arm trying to tug her forward, "Come on-"

Then just as Darcy was about to punch him, idiot intern was ripped away from her and thrown against the hallway wall, "The lady said no."

"Ye-yes sir," idiot intern stuttered nearly pissing his pants and making a quick break for it when the man holding him released him.

Darcy was not prepared for this and turned to quickly make her own exit when a voice from the past stopped her.

"You okay, miss," asked none other than James Buchanan Barnes.

She froze for a moment before telling herself that she was a grown ass woman and the past was in the past. Slowly she turned to face him, "Yeah, I'm good. I was just about to sock him when you stepped in but that at least kept me from getting in trouble. So yeah thanks."

A small glint of amusement could be seen in James eyes even as the rest of his face remained stoic, "That would have been a sight to see."

Darcy smiled back at him brightly. Their first interaction and just as she thought he didn't remember her. It would be fine, "Still now I can say I was the first one to be saved by this future Avenger."

He seemed to tense at her words and it made Darcy's heart hurt to see it. Sure he had terrified her 15 year old self but he had still let her go. That man she met 11 years ago was not the same one that is in front of her now.

"Hey, I know I don't really know you and have no idea what you have been through but you wouldn't be here in the Avengers Tower if they thought you were the bad guy. What was done to you, what they made you do was terrible but you are here today. You broke away from them and you are choosing to fight against them. I know Captain Rogers is grateful to have you here and soon more and more people will too."

He seemed frozen in place, his eyes wide. Darcy took that opportunity to make a quick exit. She wasn't ready and she didn't think he really was either to deal with the whole soul mate thing. She knew she might have to fezz up some day but that day was not today. However, she didn't like seeing her soul mate struggle like that. He seemed nothing like the Winter Soldier she had met so long ago but he still had a lot to deal with in his life.

Fate, lDarcy decided, was a real bitch. Whatever thing was behind soul mates seemed intent on bringing them together. Soon after the creep incident Darcy seemed to have a shadow. She started noticing him hanging around the lab areas more. He wasn't even being subtle about it and he didn't even seem to actually have a reason for being there. He would just show up around her break times. Then when she would leave at the end of the day he followed her out of the area and to the elevators. He glared at anyone that came too close to her. Great, she had a bodyguard escorting her around. Finally one day she waited until she was nearly at the elevators and whirled around, grabbing his hand and pulled him into the elevators with her.

"If you are going to follow me around then at least talk to me, have some coffee with me on my break or eat with me at lunch time. Stop sneaking around and scaring everyone away from me. I get you are trying to keep other creeps away but I think they get the point now. If you are going to be around all the time then you and I are going to get to know each other and we are going to be friends, got it," Darcy poked his chest and sent him a mock threatening glare.

James looked down at her as if he couldn't quite figure her out. Then he slowly nodded in confirmation, "Steve said I should probably try talking to you."

"This one time I'll agree and tell you that Steve was right but don't tell him that. You know how people most of the time warn you away from people being a bad influence, " Darcy waited for his nod that he was following along, "Well Steve is like the opposite of that and I'm telling you that's almost as bad because how are you supposed to have any fun with Captain America's "you have disappointed America,son" face when you try to decorate Iron Man's suit with pink glitter."

Darcy pauses her rant when she heard a deep rumbling laugh and her breath caught as she was captivated by James laughing face. He looked so much lighter and like the man he might have been once upon a time before Hydra and the war that took away so much from him.

"You're Trouble, aren't you, doll?"

"Why how did you know my middle name," she grinned batting her eyelashes in an exaggerated way that caused him to laugh again. Yeah she could work with this, thought Darcy to herself. She can be friends with him.

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She came to realize soon that friendship with James included Steve too. James started joining her for lunch and when he could, Steve joined them. One day while James had stepped away to get a fourth helping, hello super soldier metabolism, is when Steve took the chance to talk to her about James.

"Darcy, I wanted to thank you for everything you've done for Bucky. He seems to be lighter, happier these days."

"I haven't done anything special," she tried to brush it off.

"No, you really have. There are very few that take the time with Bucky, too afraid of what he was and what he can do now. You befriended him with no fear and treat him normal. He…I don't know if he's told you anything about it but he's been trying to remember the meeting with his soul mate. His words haven't turned black so he knows he didn't kill her, or that she's not dead at least, but he's been worried that he hurt her. He says he's happy as he is and doesn't want to trouble his soul mate but he just wants to know she is safe. It's killing him, not remembering."

Darcy's heart was racing at his admission. She needed to get away. Her chair nearly fell back she got up so fast. Bucky came back at that moment and looked at her in concern as wide panicked eyes swing back and forth between Steve and James, "I-I have to g-go. I'm sorry."

Then she ran.

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She locked herself in her rooms the whole weekend, afraid to come out. Afraid to run into James or Steve. She knew she had to talk to James but she wasn't ready. She had thought there would be more time. She had just gotten used to their friendship and she was afraid this would ruin it. She liked having him be a part of her life but what if he decided to reject her again.

It was nearly midnight when she decided it was safe for her to at least go to the kitchen to get something to drink. She had just taken the privacy settings off her room and opened the door when a sudden blur came at her and pushed her back in, closing the door behind him.

Darcy caught her breath and glared up at him,"What were you standing outside my room waiting for me to come out?!"

"Yes," was all he said before he starts undressing her.

"What are you-" she yelped as he tore her shirt of and kept looking at her exposed skin then continuing onto the next layer when he didn't find what he was looking for.

"Let me see them, please. What did I say," he asked desperately.

"How did you know," she gasped. Her confirmation made him freeze.

"Are are we really…." He asked softly.

"We first met when I was 15. Please remember that wasn't you. The Winter Soldier under Hydra's control was the person I met. ARE you sure you want to see them?"

"Yes, please. I need to…"

"Okay," she finished taking off the the tank top she had on and pulled down her bra strap, turning around to let him see the words scrawled along her left shoulder blade.

She heard the pained noise and turned back around to hug him tightly, "Please, don't blame yourself. Don't even think about trying to tell me to stay away. I told you it was the Winter Soldier that said those words. But I'm not sorry. I'm not because it means that you are mine and I am yours. I don't regret that so I can't regret the words on my skin."

"Doll, how can you say that? My word… they're a killers words."

"They are my soul mates words and I won't let you take that from me again. You left me once will you leave me again?"

"Why would you want me around? After everything I've done you should be running from me. You don't have to tie yourself down to someone like me. You deserve so much more."

"Please, don't do this, James. You walked away from me once, if you do it again I won't be able to take it. If you reject me that's it. I'll leave. I won't be able to stand seeing you but not be with you."

"I should walk away. It would be the right thing to do. Why do you have to make this so difficult," he groaned finally putting his arms around her and holding her tightly.

Darcy smiled into his chest,"What did I tell you about being good all the time? It's boring. Don't let Steve be too good of an influence."

James huffed out a laugh,"Sweatheart, I don't think that will ever be a problem and that punk ain't as good as people seem to think."

"Oh, I sense some good stories but let's not talk about Steve right now. It's Darcy and James time right now. Stay with me tonight. I want you near me. I don't want to let you go tonight."

"Okay," he agreed picking her up and she led him to her room. She curled around him and fell asleep in his arms.


End file.
